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Sunday, April 20, 1997

Oilers move to improve pass rush

By MICHAEL A. LUTZ

AP Sports Writer

HOUSTON (AP) - The Houston Oilers wanted a cornerback, but all the good ones were gobbled up quickly.

That spurred the Oilers to switch strategies and trade down in the first round to select Miami defensive end Kenny Holmes with the No. 18 pick. They hope to bolster a defense that managed only 35 sacks last season.

"That's what I bring to the table, a pass rush," Holmes said. "I like to put pressure on the quarterbacks and make my secondary into stars. To have a great team in the NFL you need a defensive end breathing down the quarterback's neck."

The Oilers started the day with 13th pick of the first round and hopes of drafting a cornerback to replace veteran Cris Dishman, who signed with the Washington Redskins.

But an early run on the top defensive backs caused the Oilers, who also have lost second-leading sacker Michael Barrow, to change strategy and move down while still focusing on defense.

They swapped the 13th pick for the 18th pick and got Kansas City's third- and sixth-round selections. The teams also flipped their fourth-round picks.

That led the Oilers to Holmes, a 6-foot-3, 254-pounder who was a premier pass rusher for the Hurricanes with 29 career sacks for 182 yards in losses. Last season, he had 10 sacks for 51 yards.

"It's fair to say that Kenny is going to play," coach Jeff Fisher said. "We will rotate our guys. He's not going to sit and watch next season. Whether he's a three-down guy or not is up to Rex (defensive line coach Norris)."

The Oilers expected that the top cornerback prospects, Ohio State's Shawn Springs and Texas' Bryant Westbrook, would be gone when their turn came.

But when Arizona took Tom Knight of Iowa and Seattle chose Michael Booker of Nebraska, the Oilers resorted to trading down for the second consecutive year.

"We obviously have needs (at cornerback) and we were a little surprised that Knight and Booker went before our pick," Fisher said. "But other things occurred that allowed us to move down in the draft, pick up a couple of draft picks and still get the man we wanted."

The Oilers made a series of bold moves last season, trading down in the first round and ending up with Ohio State running back Eddie George, who rushed for 1,364 yards and won honors as offensive rookie of the year.

Houston started last year's draft with the No. 9 pick in the first round but traded down with the Oakland Raiders to acquire second- and fourth-round picks.

Then, Reese sent defensive tackle Glenn Montgomery to Seattle and moved back into the No. 14 slot to select George.

Holmes will try to make an impact on the Oilers' defense. Bruce Smith led the AFC with 13.5 sacks and Holmes doesn't think that's out of reach for himself.

"There's no reason I couldn't do that," he said. "I don't give myself awards but I have confidence in my abilities." Send a Letter to the Editor about This Story | Start or Join A Discussion about This Story
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